'For BJP, Aadhaar a Tool of Surveillance': Rahul Gandhi Reacts to Supreme Court Verdict
The Gandhi scion said the court's ruling has barred the government from using the Aadhaar project for surveillance purpose.
New Delhi, Sept 26: The Supreme Court's verdict on Aadhaar has been welcomed by both - the ruling BJP and the prime Opposition Congress - with the two parties charging each other of being "exposed" by the apex court.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi, while reacting to the judgement, said the top court bench has preserved the vision of Aadhaar which the erstwhile UPA government had intended to implement. Aadhaar Declared Constitutionally Valid by Supreme Court, But It's Not Mandatory to Link it With Bank Accounts, Mobile Numbers.
The Gandhi scion said the court's ruling has barred the government from using the Aadhaar project for surveillance purpose. Instead, the bench has validated the Congress' approach towards Aadhaar, intended towards empowerment of the masses, he said.
"For Congress, Aadhaar was an instrument of empowerment. For the BJP, Aadhaar is a tool of oppression and surveillance. Thank you Supreme Court for supporting the Congress vision and protecting," Rahul Gandhi said.
On the contrary, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the Congress should introspect whether they would associate themselves with the technological progress of the nation, or side with the "fringe" who wants to keep the nation in dark.
"Congress cuts a very sorry figure here, they introduced the idea but they did not know what to do with it," Jaitley said, further adding, "Everyone who has been criticizing Aadhaar should understand that they cannot defy technology. Mainstream should accept changes, one can understand the fringe being against."
The SC bench today led by the Chief Justice of India delivered a majority verdict which upheld the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar Act. The court, however, barred the mandatory linkage of UIDAI number with bank accounts, mobile phones and other services. The verdict also bars the private corporate entities from using the biometric data.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 26, 2018 04:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).